[Sean Camara]

Shocking: Sydney couple accused of bilking Centrelink out of hundreds of thousands of dollars!​

A couple in Sydney is accused of using fake identities to collect over $57,000 in COVID-19 Centrelink payments.

The 27-year-old man and his 34-year-old wife were arrested following an investigation into a syndicate that was advertising services to help people make fraudulent claims.

Police alleged that the group had been advertising services as “agents” to assist people in making claims.

Some of the customers who used the service reportedly paid up to $1000 for the agents to help them with the process.

It’s said that the customers provided identity documents to the agents who would use these personal details to facilitate the claims.

It should be noted that the federal government introduced the COVID-19 Disaster Payments in June last year in a bid to aid struggling Australians whose incomes were affected by the lockdowns and other restrictions imposed during the height of the pandemic.

The couple allegedly claimed over $57,000 in COVID-19 Centrelink payments using fake identities. Credit: Australian Federal Police.​

The Australian Federal Police and Services Australia have launched an investigation into reports of fraudulent claims for the payments.

It is alleged that the syndicate has fraudulently collected more than $440,000 from Centrelink by using false identities, while other reports suggest that certain funds approved for legitimate recipients were redirected to other bank accounts without the recipient’s knowledge.

Taskforce Integrity Federal Agent Darin Ferguson described the arrest of the couple as the "tip of the iceberg".

He said: “We are seeing more and more opportunistic fraud offences being committed in the welfare stream.”

Meanwhile, Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen warned those who are seeking to commit fraudulent acts or victimise vulnerable groups during times of crisis, saying that the two arrests were just the start of the efforts to catch fraudsters.

“We take fraud very seriously and have a responsibility to prevent people taking advantage of those who are genuinely in need,” he quipped.

“Our strong relationship with our AFP partners means we’re able to quickly find, investigate and disrupt fraud.”

Taskforce Integrity Federal Agent Darin Ferguson described the arrest of the couple as the "tip of the iceberg". Credit: Australian Federal Police.​

It was said that the woman, who was charged with two counts of dealing in proceeds of crime, had fraudulently claimed $39,750, while her husband, who was charged with one count of dealing in proceeds of crime, had allegedly claimed $17,850 from the financial scheme.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years if convicted.

It was reported that the pair will appear in Burwood Magistrates Court on June 16.

So, there you have it, folks! We remind you to always double-check the legitimacy of your service providers and to never give your sensitive details to "agents" or other intermediaries unless you’re absolutely sure they are who they say they are.

Stay safe!

 

[Chris P Bacon]

It's about time the judges applied the maximum sentences for this crime.
If they have dual citizenship then they are deported as well. Seems to me that we have a certain culture that has been defrauding our welfare system for years. Meanwhile, they repay every cent and no crap about not being able to pay. Sell their house or assets.
Talking about designated maximum sentences. We hear this on the news every day about the maximum jail sentence that applies but just results in community service. There should be a minimum jail sentence that is proportional to the max sentence.